I had the pleasure of being in Okinawa from February 1-7. Six of these days were scheduled spring training camp days, with the 5th being a day off for players. As things turned out, the 4th was a day off for me. I got a little sick due to the poor weather and my lack…
It was great to see many of the players up closely during the first week of spring training down in Okinawa last week. After terrible bouts with illness, I am finally ready to start processing what I saw and share it with you all. Part 1 was about the fielders (catchers excluded), this one will…
I was in Okinawa for the first week of spring training, but needed a day of recovery on February 4th. The players started on February 1st and are slated to bring things to a close on the 28th before returning to Kansai on February 29th. This session will look at the fielders, the next one at pitchers…
On Wednesday, I got to line up and get an autograph from Mauro Gomez. Many others were around me, but I was the only one who could speak with him in English… so I said he was looking great and that we are excited for a great 2016 from him. He said thanks and that…
I stood outside the clubhouse waiting for pitchers to walk past me. Hoped to get a comment or two from the foreign pitchers. Randy Messenger snubbed me, I double-pressed “record” when Marcos Mateo walked past so I got 0.5 seconds of video of him. Rafael Dolis actually said “thank you” to me. That is all….
Here’s a video I did just before the real activities took place on Day 3 of Spring Training…
Here’s a brief look at some of the bullpen pitching I watched over the first couple of days at spring training. Apparently Kyuji Fujikawa was the first man in the pen on Day 1, and then on Day 2 it was Akifumi Takahashi. But once again, Atsushi Nohmi blows everyone away with his work ethic….
The Hanshin Tigers have re-opened their 2016 Official Fan Club for applications. You can apply any time from now until May 22. For details, go to this webpage. If you live overseas or have problems with reading Japanese, send me an e-mail (info@thehanshintigers.com) and I will try to help you out. In the meantime, enjoy…
Randy Messenger arrived at Kansai International Airport late Friday night. This will be his seventh season with the club, tying him with all-time greats Gene Bacque and Jeff Williams for longest tenure with the team by a foreigner. Should he remain on for an eighth season, he would hold the mark by himself. When he…
The three imports from the Dominican Republic – 3rd year veteran Mauro Gomez and newly-signed relievers Marcos Mateo and Rafael Dolis – arrived safely in Japan on January 27th. The two newcomers had a press conference at team headquarters the following day. Here is a brief look at what the press reported on all three…